Post #161439 by I dream of tiki on Wed, May 25, 2005 7:43 AM

"These paintings grace the walls of the Port Moresby airport. They are very large and quite impressive. All are warriors in warrior or dance garb. I {Dominique] only have pictures of a few."

"The yellow face is one of my favorites and is a Huli warrior from the highlands of Papua New guinea. The hulis are a very interesting tribe, not that the others are not!

"To many of us, it appears cruel to see birds captured & killed for their feathers. Indeed it can be distressing to see, but we must realize that this is part of the culture of the fierce and remote Hulis wigmen from the highlands of Papua New Guinea who will do anything to embellish their coiffure. The use of local bird feathers has been part of their culture for many centuries, before modern man intruded upon their world. The impact of today’s deforestation & construction is a much greater factor threatening the survival of rare species of birds found in Papua New Guinea and the surrounding islands."

"The feathers of certain species, especially those of the birds of paradise, are already becoming harder to obtain as the birds retreat deeper and deeper into the forest away from human encroachment. Hulis revere the exotic birds that live in the Highlands, they admire their beauty, their elegant flight & their singing abilities and believe that sporting these feathers will impart some of these desirable qualities to the wearer."

"The people of the Tari highlands have always adorned their coiffure with a variety of local birds' feathers, Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo crest feathers, Musschenbroek Lory tail feathers, and Superb Bird of Paradise breast feathers inserted in wigs made of a base of human hairs. These colorful ceremonial wigs are unique to the area and very expensive to buy for the tribes, going for hundreds of dollars each since they take close to 2 years to produce. As a result, each purchased wig will be carefully maintained and even passed on to the next generation by the owner."

"To the Huli and other tribes of the vicinity, the color of fertility is yellow as in the plant world that they live in close contact with, as a result it is easy to recognize a Huli man from the wig he wears and the yellow he paints his face with. Up to the year 1930, ritual human sacrifices took place and the blade used was carved from the stock of the Pandanus tree which fruit were yellow. The killing would insure abundant crops, successful hunts and health to the children. Body parts and skin from the victims were carried around in a bamboo container from village to village so all could profit from the good luck attached and then deposited near the mountain called Ambua, which means "yellow". To this day, these remote tribes dress carefully for the occasion, painting their face with traditional colors of which yellow is prevalent and doning imposing spectacular headgear fashioned out of actual human hair decorated with natural elements such as feathers, grass and flowers."

"The image of a Huliman, dressed with traditional headgear and war-paint, is one of the country's most famous. The Huli make wigs from human hair. As young men, they enter what is known as the Bachelor House, an enclave, off limits to women, where they grow their hair with "magic water" for about 18 months. The Huli boys must even sleep with their heads propped up so that the hair won't be crushed, a painful position that they eventually will get used to. The hair is then carefully cut, tightly packed and mounted into a wig which retains the shape into which it is molded with the addition of pig fat. Into the wig are inserted feathers, "everlasting flowers" and other paraphernalia; individuals compete with each other to make the most magnificent wig. Many initiates stay in the confines of the Bachelor House for years, as the more wigs they have (for formal and casual wear!), the more prestige is gained."

[ Edited by: I dream of tiki on 2005-05-25 07:45 ]